Chris Lombardi puts defense and security under the spotlight, as he shares his takes on recent NATO and EU cooperation and provides insight into the company’s own long-term strategic partnerships in Europe.

Three trends are currently driving the global electricity sector: decarbonization, decentralization and differentiation. Utilities are making significant contributions to mitigate carbon emissions, while a technology revolution is …

= SPECIAL REPORT: MUSIC IN EUROPE: Finance ministers hold key to industry’s growth

EU culture ministers can debate music until their faces are the colour of their blue suede shoes, but it is their sober colleagues in the ministries of finance who have the power to cure the ills of the industry.

That is the view of Michel Lambot, founder and managing director of Europe’s third-biggest independent label, Play It Again Sam.

Those not familiar with the label will certainly recognise some of the names on the Brussels-based company’s books: they include the evergreen Welsh ‘heart-throb’ Tom Jones, synth-pop pioneers Depeche Mode and Ghent-based ‘indie’ rockers Soulwax.

Labot, chairman of the Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA), is unhappy about the level of value-added tax placed on the industry. “A book may be 5 or 6%-rated. But music is treated as a luxury good and gets 17-25%. When you buy a CD for £13 [20.81 euro], nearly £3 [4.80 euro] goes to the state. The state is the biggest margin earner in this industry.”

Another fiscal hassle is the double-tax burden imposed on acts by foreign authorities when they tour abroad. In some cases, tax authorities treat artists as being ordinarily resident in a country when they have performed as few as three shows. “It’s nearly impossible for a non-German to tour Germany if they are not a top international artist,” says Lambot. Although acts are entitled to claim back excess taxes if they pay their dues in their home country, the process can take up to two years. Other areas where Lambot believes the EU could make a difference are in helping the music academies and clubs where most acts get their first breaks. France, for instance, has a special programme to ensure the survival of small venues. “Even The Beatles had to start in the Cavern. But there are no Caverns any more,” he laments.

Independent radio stations and small record shops that promote the work of lesser-known artists could also be helped. “If you want dissemination of culture and not just Anglo-Saxon hits, you need a network of small radio and independent record shops.” Recent events in the US may have concentrated minds away from music, admits Lambot. But even the prospect of conflict should not mean music is left by the wayside. “Have you ever seen a war without people singing?” he asks. “The only way to get people to go to war is by getting them to sing the national anthem – and that is music. Music is everywhere.”